The dreaded Covid 19 has changed a lot of things for Plein Air Washington Artists and artists nation wide. All of my events have been canceled ! Most of us were hoping by summer things would get better but that has not happened yet. In view of the current data our leadership has had to make some changes in the painting events that were planned for 2020....basically, all of the group paintouts for the whole membership have been canceled until a vaccine can be widely administered. At this time we are trying local "Pop-up-Paintouts". These paintouts will be scheduled by artists who have an inspiring place to paint. The attendance will be limited to smaller numbers of local artists and we will follow the guidelines for gathering safely. I have been getting local county data on the virus from the Next Door app on my phone. Currently Kitsap County numbers have leveled off and Bainbridge Island is doing very well.
Speaking of Bainbridge and inspiring places to paint....On Tuesday, Sylvia Carlton, one of the founding members of PAWA, scheduled a Pop-up-Paintout at her home on Bainbridge Island. Sylvia was on the list for the BBI garden show this year. That's a pretty big deal and she spent many hours working on the flower beds and "garden rooms" on their property.....only to find out at the last minute that it was canceled!...but good news for us! ..Sylvia's amazing garden was in top shape for a small group of PAWA painters to gather and translate all that beauty on canvas. I got there early and caught Sylvia watering in preparation for the day. The early light was beautiful and I quickly set up to paint the daisy's.
It wasn't too long before a few other members arrived and spread out to paint. there is a wide variety of spaces and flower "compositions" around the house, some in shade and some in full sun. It was really fun to see all of the different renditions of floral artwork being created! If you spend time on the internet, check your social media on FB or Instagram for many of these paintings and support our members by liking and commenting on their work.
At noon we spread out in the shade and had lunch before going back to work for an afternoon session. At 4pm we topped off the day with a glass of wine to celebrate all the artwork created and the joy of just being together again even if it was just a few of us....
Be sure to check the PAWA website for pop up paintouts in your area.
Stay positive, Stay creative and Stay safe! See you at the next Pop up Paintout! Robin Weiss, blogging for the PAWA team....=]
Thanks for posting, Robin! Great to see you! Fatima